Method of foaming a milled precursor
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsBryan N. Farris, David Turner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of making a foamed article comprises (a) milling a block or sheet of thermoplastic polymer to form a precursor; (b) crosslinking the thermoplastic polymer; (c) heating the precursor to a first temperature to soften the thermoplastic polymer; (d) infusing the thermoplastic polymer with at least one inert gas at a first pressure that is sufficient to cause the at least one inert gas to permeate into the softened thermoplastic polymer; and (e) while the thermoplastic polymer is softened, reducing the pressure to a second pressure below the first pressure to at least partially foam the precursor into a foamed article, wherein the foamed article is substantially the same shape as the precursor.
Claims19
A method of making a foamed article, comprising:
- a) providing a block of a first thermoplastic polymer;
- b) milling the block of first thermoplastic polymer to form a precursor having a cavity;
- c) crosslinking the first thermoplastic polymer;
- d) placing an insert comprising a second thermoplastic polymer in the cavity of the precursor, wherein the insert is placed into the cavity of the precursor by printing with a 3D printer;
- e) infusing the precursor and the insert with at least one inert gas;
- and
- f) heating the precursor and the insert to foam the precursor and the insert into a foamed article.
A method of making a foamed article, comprising:
- a) milling a block of a first thermoplastic polymer to form a precursor having a cavity;
- b) crosslinking the first thermoplastic polymer;
- c) placing an insert comprising a second thermoplastic polymer in the cavity of the precursor, wherein the insert is placed into the cavity of the precursor by printing with a 3D printer;
- d) heating the precursor and the insert to a first temperature to soften the precursor and the insert;
- e) infusing the precursor and the insert with a first inert gas under a first pressure;
- f) cooling the precursor and the insert to a second temperature below the first temperature;
- and
- g) reducing pressure to a second pressure lower than the first pressure to foam the precursor and the insert into a foamed article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.